Mid-September Update #2: 23 New Funding Opportunities!
Exciting new funding opportunities advancing climate adaptation, sustainable food systems, environmental justice, global health access, inclusive education, and deep-tech research.
Hello everyone!
We’re back with another weekly funding update, this week with 22 new grants, fellowships, and calls for proposals spanning climate action, AI for development, grassroots resilience, global health, and more.
What’s inside this week
Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact: Gates Foundation AI Fellows Program ($148k–162k/year, U.S.-based working on LMICs); UNICEF Climate Innovation Challenge (mentorship + pipeline, UNICEF programme countries); and EU call for CSOs in Mauritius & Seychelles (€100k–500k, SIDS focus on gender, drugs, and environment).
Global Health & WASH: Global Health Funding Circle grants ($50k–300k, LMICs); SIINC for WASH (€150k–350k, Sub-Saharan Africa, MENA & Asia); CHAI AVE screening initiative (non-dilutive support, LMICs); and Elrha CMD Innovation spotlight (non-monetary, Sub-Saharan Africa).
Gender Equality (2): Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge (up to $100k equity-free, Africa).
Education, Human Rights & Inclusion: National Geographic Future of Learning Grants ($20k–100k, global); UK’s Million Hours Fund (£30k–100k, England); Max Bell Foundation youth grants (up to CAD $50k, Canada); and Growing Justice Fund ($25k–250k, U.S./Tribal Nations).
Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food: SoilTribes EU Grants (€25k–100k, EU/Horizon countries); IOM’s new Climate Catalytic Fund ($5k–25k, Indonesia & Philippines); and DIMFE freshwater ecosystem call (€100k–500k, Mediterranean Basin). H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award (€200k per winner, global).
Innovation, Research & Smart Cities: Daimler & Benz early career research fund (up to €150k, Germany); NEF CGF for young scientists (up to ¥1.5M, Asia-Pacific); and NEF PhD grants for Japanese-based researchers.
Humanitarian Aid, Emergency Programming & DRR:GFDRR Risk Data Fellows (paid STC, 21 fragile countries); RFP to co-develop Non-Intrusive Explosive Detection Systems with Norwegian People's Aid.
This post is for paid subscribers only, but the monthly round-up will always remain free. I also regularly share updates on my LinkedIn.
To ensure equitable access, discounts are available for nonprofits and organizations from LMICs. Reach out for more information.
Latest Funding Opportunities:
Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact
AI Fellowship, Gates Foundation. *New!* *Closing Soon!*
The AI Fellows Program at the Gates Foundation is designed to accelerate the responsible and impactful use of AI in global health, development, and education by embedding AI/ML talent inside high‑priority program teams to deliver responsible, equitable innovation in global health, education, agriculture, and diagnostics. Fellows will collaborate across divisions—Global Health, Gender Equality, Global Development, and more—to prototype, test, and help scale tools using large language models, dashboards, diagnostics, and user‑centered AI interventions.
Geographies: USA (Seattle, WA & remote US work) with focus on LMIC challenges and global impact.
Who can apply: Candidates with a Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS/Data Science/Engineering/Applied Math (or equivalent), strong technical & ethical AI/ML skills, alignment with development impact, and legal work authorization in the U.S.
Funding amount: USD $148,920–162,350 per year (salary).
Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Digital Innovation / AI / Technology for Development; Focus areas: ethical & equitable AI, prototyping & experimentation, diagnostics, education, agriculture.
Deadline: September 19, 2025. Apply before EOD Friday to be considered for the November cohort.
This is a unique chance for mission-driven AI talent to work on real-world, high-impact problems across global health, education, and development, with access to top-tier mentors, funding scale, and the credibility of the Gates platform.
Climate Catalytic Fund (CCF) – Call for Applications 2025, IOM – CMIL Asia-Pacific. *New!*
The Climate Catalytic Fund (CCF) provides rapid, match-funded grants to support small-scale, community-led climate adaptation efforts in select areas of Indonesia and the Philippines. Rooted in the Climate Mobility Innovation Lab (CMIL), this fund links risk analytics to action by enabling vulnerable communities to pilot fast, high-impact solutions that reduce displacement risk and build local resilience. For this round, the CCF is inviting applications in the following sectors: livelihoods, infrastructure, emergency planning, health, inclusion, and skills training.
Geographies: Indonesia (Aceh Timur, Bandung, Bandung Barat, Makassar); Philippines (Catanduanes, Rizal).
Who can apply: Local NGOs, CBOs, tribal groups, gov entities, women-/youth-/disability-led orgs, academia, private sector actors, local financial institutions, academic and research institutions, and consortia of the above.
Funding amount: USD $5,000–25,000 per project (with 1:1 domestic co-financing).
Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Resilience & Adaptation; Focus areas: livelihoods, risk reduction, health, inclusion, skills training.
Deadline: October 17, 2025 (23:59 GMT+7).
Learn more and apply here.
This first call under the Climate Catalytic Fund marks a shift toward locally-led financing models in the climate mobility space- bridging predictive risk analysis and on-the-ground adaptation through catalytic small grants.
Empowering Civil Society in Mauritius and Seychelles, European Commission – EuropeAid. *New!*
The European Commission has launched a major call for proposals to empower civil society organizations (CSOs) in Mauritius and Seychelles, supporting initiatives that address three urgent priorities: drug abuse prevention (with focus on youth and women), tackling violence against women and children, and protecting the environment through coastal erosion control and biodiversity conservation. The call seeks to strengthen grassroots CSOs, embed gender equality, and ensure sustainability and replicability of results, while encouraging proposals that integrate digital tools, climate resilience, and inclusion of remote communities such as Rodrigues and Agalega. Multi-stakeholder partnerships and innovative approaches are strongly encouraged.
Geographies: Mauritius, Seychelles.
Who can apply: NGOs registered in EU, Mauritius, or Seychelles; local CSO partnership required.
Funding amount: EUR 100,000–500,000 per project; total EUR 2.36M available.
Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Civil Society Strengthening; Focus areas: drug prevention, gender-based violence, biodiversity, coastal resilience.
Deadline: October 21, 2025 (Concept Notes).
By targeting drug abuse, gender violence, and environmental threats in Small Island Developing States, this call invests in resilient, inclusive, and community-driven civil society action.
